Four Echo Niner
by Fist of Enmity
Summary: A fan-fiction of a fan-fiction. Inspiration for this story can be found at (/s/10790872/1/Let-Rise-a-New-Alicorn), written by LoverofChrist. This tells the story of a police officer investigating the disappearance of Tara Swift in the fictional city of Mount Christopher.
1. Chapter 1

**Authors note: **The story that inspired me to write this can be found here ( s/10790872/1/Let-Rise-a-New-Alicorn) and I'd strongly recommend reading it first. The author is LoverofChrist, and she's being generous enough to allow me to post a story that uses a lot of elements from her story, including characters.

**Four Echo Niner**

The officers of the Mount Christopher Police Department prided themselves on being on the very cutting-edge of modern crime fighting, and Officer Samuel Ford was no exception. One glance at his uniform, and it was clear that this was a true twenty-first century lawmen. Gone were the spick and span dress uniforms of old, their place taken by utilitarian uniforms designed from the ground up to bear the abuses of police work.

Officer Ford, call-sign Four Echo Niner, was dressed in navy blue Taclite Pro cargo pants and a black polo, his chest adorned with a ChromaFlex badge and embroidery of his last name. A Level IIIA ballistic vest hugged his torso beneath his polo, and he carried an MCPD-issue Generation Four Glock 17 with three seventeen-round magazines. A intensely-bright LED flashlight, pepper spray, an expanding baton, two sets of handcuffs, an M26 Taser, and a Motorola APX 7000L radio were all jammed onto his duty belt, and an unobtrusive GPS was securely attached to his wrist. He drove a black-and-white Dodge Charger outfitted with a state-of-the-art Whelen lighting systems, a Federal Signal Smart Siren, and a Panasonic Mobile Data Terminal.

Any casual observer would declare the MCPD more than ready to perform any policing duties, so it was both infuriating and embarrassing for the entire force that a simple matter like a missing person case was causing them so much trouble.

The particular case was the disappearance of Tara Swift; a Mount Christopher resident whose house had recently burned to the ground. Fire investigators had discovered nothing that indicated arson, or any other foul play. Miss Swift had not been suspected of insurance fraud, because she had no insurance on the house. The fire appeared to be totally unrelated to her disappearance.

A new lead from the victim's sister had prompted detectives to send Officer Ford to collect any information he could. The MCPD Detective Bureau was thin-stretched trying to solve crimes in a major metropolis which was the city of Mount Christopher, so it wasn't uncommon for uniformed patrol officers to assist detectives in such a manner Ford was doing now.

The lead Ford was following up on was a pawn shop. Tara's sister informed investigators that her sister had mentioned plans to visit the shop in order to sell some jewelry, presumably to raise enough money to afford shelter. The employees at this pawn shop may very well be the last people to have seen Miss Swift and Ford was acutely aware of the importance of his assignment.

Officer Ford's patrol car pulled up in front of the pawn shop and the policeman surveyed the surrounding area. His initial thoughts were that a place like this could very well be where Tara disappeared from; he didn't need the bars covering the windows of the shop to tell him this was a bad part of town; buildings were run down but still inhabited and groups of shady individuals loitered about on the sidewalks. Ford was well aware of the distrusting and even downright hateful glances thrown his way. Officer Ford knew than even an officer of the law would have to watch his step here; he might well be a knight in shining armor, but the officer was surrounded by an army of dragons.

"Dispatch, Unit Four-Echo-Niner is code six at 1605 Dantes Avenue, over." Officer Ford informed the police dispatcher of his location, and that he was busy so that he should not be requested to respond to calls.

_"__Dispatch copies, Four-Echo-Niner."_

Ford opened his door and stepped out into the open, making sure his service pistol was secure in its holster before proceeding from the safety of his cruiser. The pawn shop's neon sign was burned out, but a paper sign hanging behind the glass door let him know that the establishment was open. Ford folded his sunglasses and stored them on the loop sewn below the three button pique. An electric chime rang as he pushed the door open, but no clerk or salesmen appeared behind the counter.

The door closed with a _swoosh_ and Ford glanced around. The interior appeared to be that of a generic pawn shop, save for one roped-off section of store. What looked like a mirror sat a good meter back from the ropes, and a sign reading _NOT FOR SALE: DO NOT TOUCH _hung from one corner of the frame. Ford passed by it, turning his attention back to the still-vacant sales counter.

"Hello?" Ford called. "Is there anyone here?"

Nothing but silence answered him and the officer carefully observed his surroundings for any sign of trouble. Right hand clenching the grip on his pistol, Ford advanced to the counter and rapped on its wooden surface with his left hand.

"Hello?" the officer called again. This time, however, Ford's ears were treated to a gruff reply.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming!"

A pudgy, balding man emerged from a poorly illuminated hallway, focused intently on his feet, as if trying to avoid stepped on some obstacles littering the floor.

"Now, what do you wa—'' the man glanced up and saw a sharp-looking MCPD officer standing before him in his store. Immediately, a fake smile sprung onto his face and he adopted a much friendly tone. "I mean… how can I help you, Officer?"

"I'm looking for a woman," Ford began. "She's missing, and we have reason to believe she visited this store before she disappeared."

The man scratched the side of his head. "Well, I'm sure you can guess I see lots of women in here. Don't remember much about most of 'em."

"I should have a picture," Ford said, patting at his pockets, "but she would have been in here to sell some jewelry."

"That doesn't tell me much; I get dozens of girls in here each week wanting to sell old jewelry and the like. Though, uh…"—he leaned forward onto his counter—"if she walked outa' here with a bag of money, you might want to check a nearby ally."

The man's casual attitude about murder infuriated Ford, but he didn't let it show. Instead, he simply held up a picture of Tara Swift. "This is the girl; recognize her?"

The man squinted at the picture for a second or two before his eyes widened and he drew a sharp intake of breath. His reaction told Officer Ford that the man was familiar with her in some way or another.

"So… ever remember seeing her?" Ford asked.

"N—no," he stammered. "I've never seen her in here before."

"Oh really?" Ford knew the man was lying, and he made no efforts to hide it.

"Look, Officer," the man said, taking on a level tone. "I get hundreds of customers through here; I can't be expected to remember them all, can I?"

Unconsciously, his gaze shifted from the policeman to the mirror tucked away in the corner of his store. Officer Ford noticed, and followed his gaze. Seeing nothing of apparent interest, he locked his eyes back on the salesman.

"I suppose you can't be expected to remember everyone," Ford began.

"Exactly. I knew you were a reasonable man, Officer," said the salesman, clearly relieved.

"However," Ford continued, "you do have a security camera. How about you turn over the tapes from the past week to me and our detectives can review them?"

The man hesitated, clearly having an internal debate within himself on whether to cooperate or not. He sighed at last, relenting to Ford's request.

"I'll be back with the tapes," he promised, while secretly planning to damage the data and render it useless. He had an electromagnet stored in the back which would do nicely at disrupting the electronic data. He just hoped it still worked.

Ford waited until the man left, and then got on his radio.

"Dispatch, this is Unit Four-Echo-Niner," the officer said while walking back to his car to collect an evidence bag. Before reaching the door, he cast a glance at the mirror, and halted in his tracks.

_"__Unit Four-Echo-Niner, send traffic, over."_

"Standby, dispatch," Ford said, staring at what he thought had been a mirror. It wasn't reflecting, however; what looked like an ancient village was displayed on its surface.

Intrigued, Officer Ford edged closer and closer to it, until he was finally at the velvet rope isolating it from the rest of the store. He unlatched the rope from the pole and stepped inside the perimeter, walking right up to it and staring deep into the scene. Ford wasn't much interested by artwork, but nevertheless he was impressed that the picture seemed to portray true depth, along with a strikingly accurate depiction of scenery.

Looking closely, Ford noticed that certain parts of the picture actually appeared to be moving. Something soared across the sky, and he reached a gloved hand toward it. Pausing to check that the salesman was still in the back of the shop, Officer Ford touched a finger to the surface of the painting, and grunted in shock when his hand met no resistance and appeared to go several inches _inside_ the picture.

"What the…?" Ford tried to pull his hand back, but it wouldn't budge.

"Uh-oh." The officer felt an unseen force pulling his body forward into the picture.

With his free hand, Ford reached across his body and keyed the microphone clipped on at his shoulder. "Call sixty-three!" Ford bellowed the _officer needs help_ signal into the mic, praying someone would respond in time.

Ultimately though, it was a futile effort. Backup would takes minutes to arrive, and Ford knew he only had a few seconds; most of his body had been pulled in by that point.

He cast one last glance around the store and saw the salesman standing behind the counter, stoically observing the plight of the officer. Ford tried calling out for help but he was suddenly out of breath, unable to either inhale or cry out. Then, everything was black.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

_"__Police!"_

_"__Police; drop your weapon!"_

_"__Drop it now!"_

_Crack!_

_Bang! Bang!_

Officer Ford let out a groan and pressed against his temples with the palms of his hands. He was found himself lying on his back; the sun was pleasantly warm and whatever he was lying in was soft, but a splitting headache ensured the officer couldn't enjoy these comforts.

Ford's first conscious thought was that he should call dispatch and inform them of his status. Without opening his eyes, he keyed his microphone and spoke.

"Dispatch… ugh." The mere act of speaking brought about new waves of pain in his head. On second thought, dispatch could wait.

The policeman slowly pushed himself into a sitting position and took in his surroundings. He was in a forest somewhere, and there wasn't a single cell tower, asphalt roadway, or overhead airplane in sight.

"Where am I…?"

Ford checked the GPS on his wrist. The clock was functioning, but the navigation screen displayed the message _NO SIGNAL_. Wherever he was, Officer Ford was not receiving satellite coverage; satellite coverage which should theoretically be available anywhere on Planet Earth, but especially in the United States.

The police officer rose onto his feet, only to fall right back down again. The ground felt like it was shifting beneath his feet.

Ford laid on the ground for minute or two, gathering his strength for another attempt at standing. The second time, he was careful to take it slow, keeping his balance centered.

Back on his two feet, Officer Ford checked all his gear. His gun and spare magazines were secure in their holsters, and his baton, flashlight, pepper spray, and Taser were present as well. Both sets of handcuffs were stashed away in their pouch, and his radio appeared to be functioning and undamaged. All his equipment seemed to be fine, aside from the GPS. He reasoned that it had probably been damaged at some point between his transit from the pawn shop, and wherever he was now.

_I'm probably in some sorta' national forest_, Ford thought. _I should try to find a ranger station so I can phone the department and let them know where I am. _

Ford began walking, carefully at first to avoid losing his balance again, but soon got into a steady rhythm and made good progress.

_I'll bet it was that shopkeeper who dragged me out here_, Ford thought. _As soon as I'm back in Mount Christopher, I'll pay him a visit with a SWAT team._

_I hope they blow down his door with breaching charges. That'll teach 'em what happens with the MCPD comes a' knocking!_

_I have to admit though, I could probably think of worse places to be dumped. At least I'm still in the United States… I think._

Ford heard the sound of wings beating against the air followed by rustling underbrush and looked around for the source of the noise. Finding no indications of life, he pressed onward.

_Nothing to worry about Sam, it's just an animal._ He gulped. _A big animal. _

_But you're fine. You're twenty-four years old, physically fit, trained and equipped as a police officer. The odds might not be in your favor, but they're not exactly stacked against you, either, _he reassured himself_, _and then glanced at the sun which was beginning to set. _Still, let's try to pick up the pace some_.

It occurred to him that he may be forced to spend a night in these woods, and that he had no provisions to do so. Water was his first concern. He had left his bottle in his police cruiser when he went into the pawn shop, so he would have to find his own source. Even then, it wasn't like he had any means collecting it.

_Actually… hold on_. He pulled out Tara's picture again; it was protected by a plastic evidence bag, which could probably be used to contain a few gulps of water. He could use the lighter he carried in his side-pocket to start a small fire, and then the bag could hold the water while he used the fire to purify it. As long as there was water in the bag, he knew the fire wouldn't melt it.

Ford opened the bag and dropped the picture on the ground. _Maybe someone'll stumble across it and know I'm here. _It was a faint hope, but if you wanted to be found it couldn't hurt to make your trail as obvious as possible.

The only issue now was finding a stream or some other water source before dark, which would probably be soon, judging by where the sun sat in the sky.

Ford heard more movement in the bushes nearby. The forest floor was eclipsed in shadows cast by the tall, leafy trees, so the officer pulled out his flashlight and shined its powerful beam into the brush. He saw nothing, but he _knew_ something was there.

Frowning, Ford continued his forced march onward, keeping his light readily available in left hand. It was reassuring to be able to instantly flood an area with an intense amount of light should the need arise.

He had barely gone a dozen steps when he heard a twig snap behind him, maybe five meters away. He stopped dead in his tracks and heard whatever it was following him take another step before it too stopped. It sounded big: human sized.

Adrenaline coursed through Ford's veins. He gripped his flashlight tightly. His right hand slid around the polymer grip of his handgun. The officer took a deep breath, drew his pistol, switched on his light, and spun around.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

If Tara Swift had been asked what had caused her to pay a visit to the Everfree Forest that day, she wouldn't be able to provide a clear answer. A sense that something wasn't quite right; the vaguest feeling something was out of place. Like Pinkie Sense, only less definite. Regardless the reason, she had spread her wings and taken to the skies, flying from Ponyville to the forest.

She had selected a landing spot at random. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but it was as good a place as any when she didn't even know what she was looking for.

There were no signs of trouble where she landed, either. Nevertheless, she began walking down a natural trail. After a few minutes of twisting and winding through the forest, she turned a corner and noticed something square and white lying in the path.

Tara walked over and picked it up. Upon closer inspection, it was a sheet of paper, and printed across it was a string of numbers reading _1030141330,_ followed by the letters _MCPD._

The numbers were meaningless to her, but MCPD was an abbreviation she was familiar with—the Mount Christopher Police Department. She turned the paper over and gasped—it was a picture of her; one that her sister had taken earlier that year. If the police had it, then they were probably looking for her.

_Not that anyone will find me now_, she thought dryly. _Still though, what's it doing here?_

She continued down the trail, seeking answers now more than anything. It was fast approaching sundown, and she was losing light to navigate by.

_C'mon Celestia, a little bit longer! Please!_

Coming around yet another bend in the trail, and saw something standing in the middle of the path; something she hadn't seen in so long she almost didn't recognize it at first: a Human.

Tara decided that it would be best if she were to change into her Human form before proceeding, in case she was to be spotted. She took cover behind a tree and transformed. A quick glance at the Human told her he hadn't noticed the small flash of light the transformation spell had given off.

Now she moved closer, making sure she kept herself concealed behind the dense bushes surrounding the trail. She assumed the Human was a male, roughly six feet tall and with a short, military-style haircut. He was still facing away from her, but based on all the gear strapped to his waist she was willing to bet that there was a badge on the front of his shirt.

_He must have been looking for me_, Tara realized. She leaned forward and causes the bush she was hiding behind to rustle.

She was suddenly blinded by a brilliantly-bright light. Tara squinted her eyes and shaded them with her hands. The light then moved away from her, and she could see the officer holding a flashlight up by his head, scanning the surrounding bushes.

After a second more, he turned the light back off and continued walking down the trail. Tara hurried after him, all the while planning how to approach him.

Abruptly, he stopped, and Tara took one more step before she could process it. A stick crunched under her foot, but the officer remained still. She could see his shoulders rise and fall as he took a deep breath. She then saw him begin to turn, before she was blinded by his flashlight again.

"Police!" Officer Ford bellowed, taking aim at her center-mass.

"Don't shoot! I'm not armed!" Tara yelled. She couldn't see if he had his gun—with the light shining in her eyes, she couldn't see anything. However, it was probably a good bet that he had drawn his weapon.

Ford's eyes narrowed in concentration for a moment before he recognized her from the picture. "It's you!"

He lowered his gun and moved the flashlight's beam away from her face.

"You're the girl that we've been looking for." He mentally searched for her name. "Swift; Tara Swift."

Tara nodded. "Yep; that's me."

"How'd you get here? It was that creepy shopkeeper, wasn't it? Don't worry; I'll have him arrested as soon as we're both back in Mount Christopher."

"Creepy shopkeeper?" Tara asked. She supposed that he could be talking about the owner of the pawn-shop where the mirror was housed, but she didn't get a particularly good look at him that day she went to sell the jewelry. Or, the Elements of Harmony, rather.

It didn't appear that Ford had heard her, though; he was still planning aloud about how to get back to Mount Christopher.

"Now," the policeman said, "all we need to do is find a Ranger station, or someplace else with a phone. I'll call the department to send a car to pick us up, and we can get you back where you belong."

_Clearly_, Tara thought, _he's absolutely unaware of his current situation._

"Look, Officer," she began, "I think there's something you need to see."

"Oh? What's that?"

She hesitated. "Promise that you won't freak out… and shoot me."

Ford looked at her with suspicion. "Why?"

"I'm not going to hurt you," she said, reassuringly, "but you might be a bit surprised."

Officer Ford looked her over. She didn't seem to be lying, which was something he dealt with every day. "Alright," he agreed, sliding his pistol back into its holster.

"You might want to close your eyes, too," Tara advised.

Ford glared at her; that was something he would _not_ do.

Tara shrugged, and a quick flash of light radiated out from her body as she transformed into her Anthro form.

Ford shined his flashlight back on her and his eyes shot open wide.

"What… are you?" He took a half-step backwards.

Before Tara could answer, the howling of an animal resonated through the woods. Both she and Ford looked around, alarmed by the noise.

"I'll tell you, but not here; the forest is very dangerous. Here,"—she extended a hand towards him—"take my hand."

He looked at her cautiously. "Why?"

"Because if you don't, you'll be stuck alone in the dark, with no answers."

That was enough to convince him. Ford started forward, and seized her hand.

"Ow! Not so tight; you're not apprehending me."

"Uh… sorry." His grip loosened a bit. "So, what now?"

"This." In a flash she was gone from the forest, teleporting away and taking Officer Ford with her.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Dantes Avenue was thoroughly saturated with police officers, cruisers, detectives, and supervisors. The blue police lights blossomed as they caught the rain falling around them in heavy sheets, creating the appearance of a vibrant netherworld of cold light. With the streetlights long-since dead, portable LED floodlights had been brought in for illumination, adding to the eerie atmosphere. Overhead, a helicopter shone a brilliantly-bright searchlight onto the road and alleys below, cutting through the darkness that shrouded the city streets.

Detective Tommy Killian, age 32, raced his Charger down an adjacent road. Killian was an eleven-year veteran of the MCPD, having spent five years as a patrolman and six in the detective bureau. He had been to hundreds of crime scenes, but very few of those involved another police officer.

The detective felt a new sense of urgency wash over him as he turned onto Dantes Avenue and spotted the other police vehicles. The engine on his car roared as he accelerated towards them, quickly braking and parking next to an identical, navy-blue Dodge Charger.

Killian was soaked with water the very moment he stepped out of the car, but he took no notice. He rushed over to the nearby pawn-shop, ran around a solitary patrol car without its lights on, ducked under the yellow crime-scene tape, and barged through the door.

The other officers in the room cast him a brief glance as he noisily entered, but immediately returned to their work.

Killian singled out one man in the room—Michael Colton. Another detective, and a nineteen year police veteran.

"What've we got, Mike?" Killian asked his colleague.

"Signal sixty-three call from a patrolman helping out with the Tara Swift case. His car's outside, but that's the only trace of him."

"Witnesses?"

"Just one." Colton jerked his head towards a man standing behind the store's counter. "He runs the store. I already talked to him, but feel free to ask him anything you need."

Killian walked over to the owner of the pawn-shop, followed closely by Colton. He gave the detectives a fatigued look as they approached him.

"This is Detective Killian, Mister Ludlum." Colton introduced the pair. "Tell him exactly what you saw, please sir."

"Well," Ludlum began, "Officer Ford came in here and said he was looking for information about some girl who disappeared."

"That's right; Tara Swift," Colton said.

"Right; her. Anyway, he showed me a picture of her and asked if I'd ever seen her before. I didn't recognize her, but I get a lot of customers through here, ya' see. She may have been in to sell me something and I just don't remember her."

"I see, go on," Killian prompted.

"He asked if he could take some of my security footage for you detectives to review. I said _sure_, and went into the back to get it."

"Security footage?" Killian asked abruptly. "Do you have any of today?"

"Sorry, no; it's all been corrupted."

"Oh… well, continue, please," Killian said.

"When I came back out, Officer Ford was outside the store and four or five guys were wrestling him into a van. They managed to overpower 'em, and haul 'em in. After that, the van sped away."

"Can you describe the van for us?" Killian asked.

Ludlum shrugged. "It was white; one of those Ford E150-type vans. You know the kind. Other than that, nothing much sticks out about it."

Killian finished taking notes and stuffed his notepad into his right cargo-pocket. "Thank you for your help, Mister Ludlum."

"Yeah, no problem," Ludlum replied, relieved when the two detectives finally moved away.

"This is just great," Killian grumbled. "Do you know how many white E150 vans there are in Mount Christopher? I must've passed six of them on my way here!"

"I don't think that's even our biggest problem," Colton sighed.

"Huh? Whatcha' mean?"

"Well… what's one good reason you can think of to kidnap a cop?"

"Ransom money," Killian guessed, and Colton nodded.

"That's what I thought at first too. But here's the problem with that theory—anyone who can capture a cop in broad daylight's gotta' have lots of resources behind them. It's not something Joe-Average criminal and his buddies do on a whim, ya' know?"

"I see what you mean."

"So, what would an organization with that kind of resources at their disposal need with ransom money?"

"Oh," Killian said, catching on.

"Now, bear with me for a second here. Let's just assume this was pulled off by the cartel."

"Yeah?"

"The kind of money they could get from ransoming a cop, if any, would be peanuts compared to their overall fortune. But on the other hand, if they were protecting something…"

"So, do you think Ford's kidnapping and Swift's disappearance might be connected?"

"Maybe Swift caught wind of something she shouldn't know about, and the cartel made her disappear. Ford's helping out with the investigation, so he has to go too."

"Yeah, I see what you're getting at," Killian said.

"But if that's true," Colton continued, "then it means the cartel had to know Ford would be here today. Either they were staking this pawn-shop out because this is where they picked Swift up, or someone told them he was coming."

"You think someone sold him out? Someone within the department?"

"Well, it's only a theory," Colton replied.

Killian nodded, but in his experience a lot of Detective Colton's theories turned out being accurate on some level or another.

"So, what about Ford?"

"Too early to say conclusively," Colton replied. "But if I'm right, and I hope I'm not, well…" he trailed off. Killian could guess what he was going to say next.

"Uh, excuse me? Sirs?" It was Mister Ludlum trying to get the detective's attention. The two men turned their heads and looked at him.

"It's been kind of a long day; I'd kinda' like to go home now."

Killian and Colton exchanged glances. Neither had nothing more to ask at the moment, so Colton shrugged and looked back towards Ludlum. "You're free to go, sir."

"Oh, thank you," Ludlum said gratefully, and shuffled across the room and out the door.

Killian jerked his head towards the retreating form of the pawn-shop owner. "What do we know about him? Does he have a rap sheet?"

"I pulled it up earlier; nothing major—a few parking violations, a speeding ticket or two. I don't think he's involved with any major crime syndicate."

"No, I guess not," Killian replied. The two men were silent for a few moments, before Killian spoke up again.

"When's the last time we interviewed Swift's sister?"

Colton shrugged. "I don't think we've spoken to her since the initial interview where we got Tara's basic description."

"If we're gonna' roll with the theory that Ford's capture is connected with Tara's disappearance, then we should probably go back and ask her some more questions; try and find out if Tara might be tied to organized crime, or possibly witnessed something. Where's she live?"

"Canterlot, I think."

"Canterlot?!" Killian exclaimed. "Of course it couldn't be somewhere nearby…"

"Yep," Colton replied. "Looks like we're going to be taking a road trip."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"A trip to Canterlot," Detective Killian sighed.

"Probably going to be an all-nighter," Detective Colton replied.

It was the morning after they had made the decision to conduct a second interview with Miss Savannah Swift. The Canterlot Police Department had been informed of their intentions and an officer was arranged to meet them at the department's headquarters.

The two detectives threw a pair of black duffle-bags loaded with gear for the trip into the trunk of Detective Colton's car.

The two men scarfed down breakfast, had the vehicle's gas tank filled, and pulled out of the MCPD's underground bunker of a garage. Two mugs of coffee and a pair of Daniel Defense DDM4 rifles sat in-between them, and their GPS was already set for Canterlot Police headquarters.

Detective Colton drove while Killian sat in the passenger seat reviewing their notes about the case.

"Ya' know… it seems a little funny that Mister Ludlum was the only witness, don't you think?"

Colton shrugged, keeping his eyes on the road. "Dantes Avenue is a high-crime area; it wouldn't surprise me if most people living there are apathetic towards the plight of police officers."

"Yeah… but you'd think _someone _would be willing to come forward with information."

"A few people report seeing nothing unusual, which is a pretty typical response if you're afraid of being targeted for giving police information."

Killian nodded. "Yeah, I guess."

Colton pulled onto the interstate highway, and the two men spent much of the trip in silence, each one mentally reviewing the case.

Eventually Colton exited the interstate onto a small, single-lane country road where the sight of a navy-blue sedan was totally alien. Trucks and jeeps were much more prolific on areas like this. Aside from the farmland which passed by on either side of them, there was no indication of any Human life.

"I hate places like this," Killian commented. "Everything looks the same: boring as all get-out."

He grunted with discomfort as his legs began to stiffen. "Are we there yet?"

"I think we've got another couple hours of driving," Colton reported.

"Ah, good," Killian said sarcastically. "You mind if I turn the radio on?"

"Go for it."

Killian scanned through the channels, eventually finding one that was satisfactory and tuning into it. Nearly two more hours passed by at an agonizingly slow pace, but when Killian looked at the GPS it showed they were only six miles from the city limits. And still surrounded by farmland, he noted.

Colton came around a bend in the road, and slammed on the brakes.

"What in the world?!" Killian looked up and saw a herd of cows blocking the road.

"Oh you cannot be serious!" he exclaimed, reaching for the button on the siren control and sounding an electronic air-horn.

The cows cast a disinterested gaze in his direction and didn't budge.

Killian set the siren on _yelp_, but experienced no better results.

Colton allowed the vehicle to drift slowly towards the cows, trying to prompt them to move. They stood their ground however, and he was forced to stop the car once more.

Killian switched off the siren and let out a sigh of discontent. "It's probably going to take hours for these stupid things to clear out! Who's the genius that let these things get all over the road?"

As if in response to his question, a blonde boy dressed in a red shirt and blue-jeans who looked to be in his late teens appeared next to the road. He glanced quizzically at the detectives in the car, and then at the herd of cattle.

Killian switched on the PA system.

"Hey buddy!" Killian bellowed, his voice booming and electronically amplified. "These your cows?"

The boy nodded.

"Then get them out of the road! You're holding up traffic!" Killian demanded.

The boy picked held up a stick and used it to herd the cattle off of the road.

"Yeah, there ya' go," Killian called. "Spook 'em away your Staff of Ra."

After clearing the cows, he glared at the detective's car.

"I'll be back here with a Sheriff's Deputy to cite you for traffic obstruction!" Killian threatened as Colton got the vehicle back up to its original speed.

_Such an angry man_, thought the farmer as the car sped away.

"Can you believe that?! What does that joker think he's doing?!"

Colton chuckled lightly. "You're certainly in a fine mood today."

"Mike, I'm tired, I'm sore, and we're missing an officer. Every second counts, so we can't afford to have it wasted by some farmer who can't keep his animals off the road."

"Still," Colton shrugged, "you probably could've handled it better."

"I got the road cleared, didn't I?"

"Yeah, but you're missing my point, Tom. He's got a negative impression of us now—that could make it harder on the next cop that has to deal with him."

"I'm hoping the next cop who deals with him writes him a ticket."

Colton sighed. "You really are impossible, ya' know that?"

"Just drive, Mike."

When the pair finally arrived at Canterlot Police headquarters, they were decidedly unimpressed. Compared to the Mount Christopher Law Enforcement Center, which housed not only the police department but also the field offices of several federal agencies, CPD headquarters was small, old, and worn.

The police cruisers parked in the outside lot were old Crown Victories, most of which still had incandescent emergency lights.

The two detectives entered the building and found the reception desk occupied by a sleepy-looking sergeant with a bushy gray mustache and matching gray hair, who failed to notice them until they were standing directly in front of his desk.

"Oh… uh, can I help you?" he asked quickly.

"I'm Detective Colton; this is Detective Killian. We're from the Mount Christopher Police Department, here to interview a Miss Savannah Swift."

"Right, I heard something about you, just give me a second to..." he trailed off as he tapped away at his computers keyboard.

"Okay," he said after a moment or two. "We've got an officer who'll escort you out to her house. He'll be here shortly, so make yourselves at home until then."

The detectives waited for their escort, who finally arrived nearly three minutes later. He was a tall, broad-shouldered man with a friendly smile.

"Hey there, I'm Officer Henry" he said. "You're the two detectives from Mount Christopher?"

Colton nodded. "We are."

"Okay, great then. I'm ready to leave whenever you are."

"Well, then let's get going."

The three men walked outside, Colton and Killian to their Charger and Henry to his Crown Victoria.

Colton stuck the key in the ignition, turned it, and the engine roared to life. Henry did the same, except with less success—the vehicle wouldn't start.

The MCPD detectives heard the sound of the starter motor trying to start the engine and looked in Henry's direction. They exchanged glances, and walked over.

"Having trouble?" Colton asked.

"I don't understand," Henry said, scratching his head. "It was just fine earlier."

"How often does it get serviced?" Killian asked.

Henry shrugged. "Once in a while."

Killian glanced at Colton. MCPD vehicles were serviced every one-thousand miles. Clearly the CPD didn't have quite the same level of resources.

And yet, despite these shortcomings, Canterlot had a much lower level of crime than Mount Christopher. Killian wondered what their secret was—what did the CPD have that the MCPD, arguably the most technologically sophisticated police department in the country, didn't?

Henry turned the key again, and after a second or two of sputtering, the vehicle started.

"Hey, there we go!"

"Yeah… uh, you should probably have your car looked at," Killian advised.

Henry shrugged. "You might be right. No time for that now though; follow me!"

Colton and Killian returned to their vehicle and pulled out behind Henry.

"I swear," Colton said, shaking his head, "if this guy's car stalls in front of us, I'm giving him a little push."

It didn't, though. Henry lead the two detectives through town, and finally into a residential area. A few more minutes of driving and they arrived at their destination.

"Check it out; three cars," Killian said, pointing at the pair of vehicles in the driveway.

"Yeah; run the plates, will ya'?"

Killian brought the automatic plate-readers online, four infrared cameras which provided three-hundred-sixty degree coverage. In less than a second the one facing Savannah's house identified the vehicles and pulled information about them from a government database.

"No outstanding wants or warrants," Killian reported. "One registered to Savannah Swift—no surprise there, one to someone named Rainbow Dash. And the third is registered to… Rarity."

He paused, quirked an eyebrow, and scratched his head. "And that's literally it. I'm not seeing any sort of surname on her."

"Well… I guess we can ask once we're inside."

Colton and Killian dismounted, but Henry remained in his car.

"Hey guys, I just got a radio call," the CPD officer said. "They need me, so I'm gonna' leave you to here if that's alright with you."

Colton nodded. "We're all good; thanks for your help Officer Henry."

"You got it." The CPD cruiser turned around and sped away.

"Alright, well, you've got the files," Colton said to Killian, who was carrying several folders relating to their case.

They made their way up the driveway and onto the front porch. They exchanged glances briefly, and then Colton reached out a hand and quickly knocked twelve times on the door.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

The door opened, revealing a young woman holding a book. She gave the detectives a confused look. "Uh… can I help you?"

"Savannah Swift?"

"Yes…"

"I'm Detective Colton, this is Detective Killian; we're from the Mount Christopher Police Department."

Savannah looked the men over. Both wore charcoal-gray pants and black polo shirts. Badges were etched into their shirts with what looked like some sort of metallic thread. Both wore dark sunglasses, and both carried pistols on their right hips.

"Do you mind if we come in, ma'am?" Killian asked. "We have some questions we'd like to ask about your sister."

"Well… I suppose so." She glanced back into her house before opening the door for the two detectives.

They removed their sunglasses and clipped them onto identical loops on their shirts.

"Can I get you too anything?" Savannah asked as the men walked into her house.

"No, ma'am—thank you."

Colton and Killian entered the living room and looked around at the six girls occupying it.

"These are some girls who came to give me some information about my sister," Savannah explained.

"I see." Colton looked at the girls. "You were her friends?"

"Uh… not exactly," a girl with blonde hair and a country accent replied.

The two detectives exchanged glances and then returned their gaze to the girls.

"Oh?" Colton asked, suspicion evident in his voice.

"They're friends of mine," said a girl with red streaks running through her blonde hair. "I knew Tara, and they just came along with me."

"And you are…?"

"Sunset Shimmer," she answered. "This is Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie."

This explanation made enough sense to the policemen, although they did notice that Sunset seemed anxious. It wasn't obvious, and most people would probably have missed it, but her behavior was plainly obvious to both detectives.

"Would you mind waiting in another room?" Killian asked.

After a second or so they got up and left without saying a word. Savannah sat down and Colton took a seat across from her. Killian however, elected to remain standing.

"What do you want to know about my sister?" Savannah asked.

"Miss Swift," Colton began, choosing his words carefully, "how much do you know about your sister?"

"Well, I'd like to think I know a good bit about her," Savannah replied. "After all"—she leaned forward for emphasis—"she is my sister."

"Of course," Colton said, deciding to change tactics and take a more direct approach. "Do you know if she may have ever been involved with, or witnessed any criminal activities?"

"Excuse me?!" Savannah demanded, shocked as much as furious. "You want to know if my sister was a criminal?!"

"Miss Swift—"

"Detective, I don't know what they're teaching you—"

"Miss Swift!" Killian, who had the more powerful voice of the two, barked.

"I understand how this must sound, ma'am," Colton said, "but it is an important question."

He gave her a second to calm herself before continuing any further.

"Now, is there anything Tara might have mentioned to you that suggests a connection with crime? Even if she only witnessed something, that could be equally as important as her being involved herself."

Savannah let out a sigh. "No; I can't think of anything… what brought this on anyway? All of a sudden you think she's a criminal."

Colton exchanged glances with Killian, who handed him a manila-colored file. He browsed through a few documents and selected a few crime-scene photos taken of the pawn shop where Ford had last reported his position. He set these down on the table for Savannah to see.

"Yesterday, we sent Officer Samuel Ford to this pawn shop trying to collect information about your sister."

Savannah nodded. "This is she shop where she mentioned going… what about it?"

"He spoke with the shopkeeper, who said he had some security footage from the day your sister went missing."

"Oh, good! Wait… did the security camera see her do something wrong?"

"No ma'am, the footage is useless—totally corrupted."

"Oh."

"Anyway, the shopkeeper went into the back of the store to try and pull the files from his computer, and when he came back out he reports seeing Officer Ford being forcefully hauled into a van by several men."

"You mean he was—"

"Kidnapped, yes ma'am."

Savannah was silent for a moment. "Well…I'm sorry. But I don't see what this has to do with Tara."

Killian spoke up. "Let's say she witnessed some sort of criminal activity, presumably activity from an organized crime syndicate. If they don't want her to testify, they might burn down her house to intimidate her. If that doesn't work, then they'd kidnap her. Officer Ford is helping investigate the disappearance, so they take him out too."

He paused for a second, and then added "It's a bit more complicated than that, but that's the basic gist."

"So… you think the mafia, or the cartel, or someone like that kidnapped my sister?"

Colton nodded. "We consider it a distinct possibility, ma'am, meaning that time is of the absolute essence. The more time we spend piecing together the puzzle, the worse things look for your sister and Officer Ford."

Savannah was absolutely silent for several seconds as she racked her mind for anything that might be useful. Ultimately though, she came up with nothing. "I'm sorry, Detectives—I can't think of anything."

Colton collected his crime-scene photos and glanced briefly at Killian. "Well… thank you for your time, ma'am."

She nodded.

Colton stood up and fished around in his pocket for a business card. "If you think of anything, please call me. If see anything suspicious, report it to the local police first."

Colton and Killian briefly waited for an acknowledgement. None coming, they turned around and saw themselves out.

The two men returned to their car but didn't leave. They sat opposite Savannah's house, contemplating the events that had transpired during the interview.

"That one Sunset Shimmer kid," Killian said. "She's hiding something."

"Yeah, but what?"

"Maybe she's involved."

"Gotta' theory?"

"Well," Killian began, "it could be that she's working with whoever kidnapped Swift and Ford. She came here with her buddies to talk to the sister and make sure she doesn't reveal anything that might help our investigation."

"Could be," Colton replied. "When you're dealing with organized crime I guess almost anything is possible."

"The problem is how to question 'em. This isn't exactly our jurisdiction, and I don't want these local clowns involved."

They were silent as they tried to come up with a solution.

"Tom," Colton said at last, "isn't your cousin a state trooper?"

* * *

><p><em>"<em>_Hey Sam! Look at this—the department got you a graduation present!"_

_"__It's… new."_

_"__What'd you think you'd be driving? Some outdate Vic? C'mon, let's take 'er for a spin"_

Officer Ford emerged from teleportation and nearly lost his balance. In fact, if he hadn't still been holding onto Tara's hand he probably would have fallen flat on the floor.

"Whoa—careful!" Tara cautioned.

"Ugh…" Ford touched a hand to his temple. "What was that?"

"Teleportation spell," Tara replied with a shrug.

Ford gave her a disbelieving look. Before either of them could say anything more though, Twilight burst into the room.

"Tara, are you alright? You ran off and…" Twilight trailed off when she noticed Ford.

"That's… a talking horse," Ford said.

"That's… a Human."

Ford looked at Tara. "Where am I?! What's' going on?!"

"You really should sit down, Officer," she said. "You've got a lot to take in."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Convincing Officer Ford to take a seat so that Tara could explain his current situation had been harder than she'd originally expected, but she finally managed to coax him into a chair set next to a table. Tara and Twilight both sat across from him where he could see both of them.

"Okay, Officer," Tara began. "You're in Canterlot Castle, in a place called Equestria."

"I've _been_ to Canterlot," he interrupted. "My state held last year's police conference there. There _is no_ castle, and it's located in Mustang County, not… wherever."

"Equestria," Tara corrected. "And you're right, but we're talking about two different Canterlots, here."

Ford tilted his head back slightly and raised both eyebrows.

Tara rolled out a map of Equestria on the table in front of him, and pointed to Canterlot. "This is where we are."

"The side of a mountain."

_So, he's the sarcastic type_, Tara thought. "Yes—in Canterlot Castle."

"Here's the Everfree Forest; where I found you. It's right next to Ponyville."

"_Ponyville_?" He examined the map more closely. "What's with these names?! _Mane_hatten? Balti_mare_? _Filly_delphia?" Each time he spoke, Ford jabbed a gloved finger into the map.

"These sound like a buncha' horse puns!"

Ford sighed and buried his face in his hands. "Am I on one of those hidden camera shows? Are you wearing a wire?"

Tara shook her head. "No, Officer; this is all real."

"Sure it is."

"Want proof?" Tara offered.

"I'd like some, yes."

"Go to that window and look out it; tell me what you see."

Without a word, Officer Ford stood up and walked over to the window. He peered out it, and sharply inhaled.

It was nighttime. Lights sparkled from a lone town below. A bright, full moon cast enough light for Ford to make out a dense forest in the distance. He looked down and gulped; he was in a building perched on the side of a mountain.

Ford drew back from the window and looked at Tara and Twilight. "It's… real."

Twilight nodded. "From what we've been able to gather, you fell through a magic mirror that connects to Equestria."

"A magic mirror…" Ford sighed. He still sounded as if he didn't quite believe.

"Think, Officer; what's the last thing you remember before you woke up here?"

"Well… I'd gone to a pawn shop to see if they had any information about your disappearance." He nodded towards Tara. "The shopkeeper went to get me some security footage, and I was heading back to my car for an evidence bag when I saw something that_ looked_ like a mirror, but after I looked closer I thought it had to be a painting or something.

"I reached out to touch the painting—it had actual depth, and I couldn't pull my hand back. Then I started to get pulled in and I radioed for help. But after that, I don't know; I must've blacked out."

"Almost the same exact thing happened to be," Tara said. "That was the magic mirror."

Ford said nothing.

"Well… I imagine you're tired," Tara continued. "I'll show you someplace you can stay for tonight, and tomorrow I'll show you around; you've only seen the beginning."

The City of Canterlot was shaped like an elongated crescent, with two points that were parallel to each other but did not touch. On one of these points was Savannah Swift's house; on the other were the homes of Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Sunset Shimmer; a little further onward was Applejack's farm.

The fastest and most direct route between these two areas was to travel in a straight line from point to point, outside the city limits. Not only were these two points closer geographically, but there was much less traffic; it could easily be three or four times quicker to travel this road than one inside Canterlot. It only made sense to take this route when the girls went to visit Savannah, and naturally they took the same road back.

Lacking any sort of streetlights, the only illumination that night came from the headlights of two cars, both travelling in the same direction. The one in front periodically sped forward and then slowed so the car tailing behind could catch up.

In the lead vehicle, Rainbow Dash stepped on the gas petal once again, grinning as the engine roared and her car darted ahead of Rarity.

"Uhm, Dash… I really think we should slow down," Fluttershy meekly suggested from the back seat.

"Ah, relax, Flutters—I've got everything under control."

"Oh. Well, if you say so…"

Pinkie Pie, also in the back, looked out the rear window and gasped. "Step on it Dash! There's a Christmas tree after us!"

"A Christmas tree? Pinkie"—Dash looked into her rearview mirror and saw a fast-approaching vehicle outfitted with an array of flashing blue lights—"that's a cop! Where'd he come from?"

Within seconds, the police cruiser had caught up to Dash was speeding along behind her car. Dash thought she could make out a second police car behind it, but she wasn't certain. Its siren blared for a couple of seconds to attract her attention.

Nervously, Dash slowed down and pulled over to the side of the road. She wondered how fast she'd been going when he saw her—a prayed he wouldn't arrest her as a super-speeder.

Rarity slowly drove past Dash's stopped car, and parked her own vehicle in front of her friend's.

After what seemed like an eternity, the door on the car and someone stepped out. They approached her car, and its occupants could make out a man in a State Police uniform.

Dash rolled down the window and tried to play things cool. "So… what seems to be the problem, Officer?"

"The problem," he replied, "is that you're travelling about twenty-five miles per hour above the speed limit on a single lane road, and in the dead of night. License and registration, please."

She handed over the requested documents and watched him return to his car through the rearview mirror. There was defiantly a second car back there; she could see its emergency lights winking at her through the first vehicles windows.

"This is really not our lucky day with cops, huh?" Dash smiled at Sunset, who looked more worried than she was.

"What's up, Sunset? I'm the one about to get a ticket… and probably lose my license."

"Police… they make me nervous."

Dash shrugged. "I doubt you're alone with that."

"They make me nervous too," Fluttershy said, hoping to make Sunset feel better.

"Yeah, well, nobody else is secretly a Unicorn from another world."

Dash mulled that over. "I've gotta' admit; you've got us there."

In her mirror Dash could see the officer returning, but this time he was accompanied by two others who stood behind Dash's car where she couldn't make out their faces.

"I need I.D. from all of you," the patrolman ordered.

Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy fished theirs out of their pockets and gave them to the trooper. Sunset Shimmer didn't move.

"I.D. from _all_ of you," he repeated, glaring at Sunset.

"I… left mine at home."

"Oh, is that so?"

Dash came to Sunset's defense. "Maybe she did! C'mon, what she do, Officer"—she read his nametape—"…Killian"

Killian; same as the detective who had been at Savannah's house earlier that day. Dash looked the policeman at her window over; it wasn't the same man, but there was a slight similarity. A relative, perhaps.

The patrolman issued another order, this one clearly directed at Sunset. "Stay here."

He and the two others went back to his car, where the powerful headlights made it impossible to see what was going on. An entire army could be staging for an assault and Dash would be none the wiser.

As the minutes ticked by, Dash decided that she'd had enough. Sure, she had been speeding, but that was no reason for them to treat her friends like criminals. Ready to speak her mind, Dash opened the door and stepped out.

"Hey, stay in the car!" someone commanded, but Dash kept going.

"Look guys—''

"_Freeze!_"

Dash froze. A bright-green laser bead appeared over her torso; the kind of laser usually attached to a gun.

Officer Killian, the State Patrolman, stepped into the light, holding his service pistol.

One of the patrolman's companions rushed forward to the front passenger side of the car, carrying a rifle. Sunset Shimmer looked at him and recognized the face—Detective Killian. He pointed the rifle at her. "Out of the car!"

She complied; the car's door would be no match for his patrol rifle.

He gripped her wrists and quickly slapped cuffs onto her.

"You are under arrest."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

_"__Earlier today, officials from the Mount Christopher Police Department announced the death of Officer Samuel Ford, a twenty-four year-old officer who had served the department for three years. The state court declared the officer legally dead, after strong evidence presented by the department suggested that the officer had been killed in the line of duty, while assisting in an investigation regarding the disappearance of Tara Swift._

_"__Officer Ford is often regarded as the hero of the Stanford Square shootout, an incident that occurred a little over two years ago, involving Ford and a gunman who opened fire on a crowd in Stanford Square. Officer Ford fatally shot the gunman, saving potentially dozens of lives. Certainly, a tragic end for one of our country's finest police officers."_

Detective Killian emerged from the interrogation room, with a frown etched on his face. So far, he hadn't managed to get one single shred of anything that could be used as evidence from Sunset Shimmer. Clearly she was absolutely determined to prevent the police from ever locating either Tara Swift, or Officer Ford.

"So, what's the word?" Detective Colton, who had been standing on the other side of a one-way mirror, asked his friend.

"She's not talking. I'm thinking she's more afraid of her bosses than she is of prison."

"That's usually how it goes," Colton sighed. He allowed a brief silence to fill the space before continuing.

"Although, it is possible she's innocent."

"Innocent!?" Killian said, incredulously. "Earlier you agreed me that she was involved!"

Colton held up a hand. "I agree that she's hiding something. I'm certain of it, in fact. But that could just be a coincidence."

"That'd be on serious heck of a coincidence," Killian said skeptically.

"True. Doesn't mean it couldn't happen, though."

"Ever happen to you before?"

Colton shuffled his feet, uncomfortable. "Well… not to _me_. But it _can _happen."

Killian scratched his forehead. "Okay. So maybe she's not involved with the kidnapping. She's involved in _something_, right? We both can agree on that, at least?"

"Sure," Colton replied. "But that something could be nothing more than parking ticket."

"Or it could be a double homicide," retorted Killian. "Or, perhaps a _kidnapping_."

"Tom, look. We deal with criminals every day. By now you've learned to get a general idea of someone's character just by talking to them, am I right?"

"Yes, sure."

"Do you get a sense that Miss Shimmer is the kind of hardened criminal who would pull off what we're accusing her of?"

"It doesn't mean she can't be. People can get pretty good at hiding their emotions. _Criminals_ can get pretty good at hiding their emotions."

"Sure, after years and years of exposure to crime. Miss Shimmer though—she looks, what? Eighteen? Not quite the likely candidate for a hardened criminal."

"You can't underestimate these types. They're young, sure, but they'll get started early—stealing other kid's… tiaras or whatever out on the playground."

"_Tiaras_? Now you're just being silly."

"I am not!" Killian said defensively, before letting out a sigh. "The point is we can't go off her age."

Colton thought about it for a moment. "What if we give her a chance to tell us her side of the story?"

"I've been in that interrogation room for the past half-hour giving her a chance to do just that!"

"Not quite," Colton replied. "We've been looking for her to tell us how she's involved in the kidnapping. What if we let her tell us how she_ isn't_ involved? Give her a chance to convince us she's innocent?"

"Alright," Killian agreed, and sighed with resignation. He didn't think this would yield any results. Still though, the detective had no desire to arrest someone for a crime they didn't commit.

Detective Killian opened the door to the interrogation room and entered. Sunset Shimmer glanced up, making eye contact for only the briefest of moments before her eye's dropped back onto the table in front of her.

Killian sat down in the chair across from her and leaned back. The room was totally silent, until Killian spoke.

"Coffee?"

Sunset looked up, confused, and saw that the detective was offering her a Styrofoam cup. Its contents were steaming, making the offer particularly attractive in this cold, state-police outpost. Still though, Detective Killian had been less-then-friendly with her so far, and she cast him a suspicious glance.

It didn't take Killian long to realize he was being scrutinized, and he rolled his eyes. "I didn't do anything to it, okay?"

Still, Sunset didn't say anything.

Killian shrugged and set the cup down in front of her.

"Now," he began, "you've had me in here accusing you of kidnapping Miss Swift and one of our officers. Maybe you're guilty, but maybe you're not. If you'd like to tell me your story, this is the time to do it."

Killian leaned forward. "Don't lie to me, though. If you lie, you'll only be in more trouble."

She looked at him but didn't speak.

Killian spread his hands. "I'm waiting."

"Even if I told you, you still wouldn't believe me." Sunset finally said. There was a hint of sadness in her voice.

"No, see, that's not going to work," Killian replied. "This is the one chance you're getting to avoid a whole mess of trouble—a chance most people don't get. Either you tell me—_prove _to me you're not involved in the kidnapping, and how you just knew Swift, or you'll be charged with aiding in her kidnapping."

Before either one could continue, there was a knock at the door. It opened and Colton's head appeared, and he beckoned Killian out of the room.

"Think about what I said," Killian said to Sunset and he got up to leave.

Outside, he found Colton and much to his surprise, Savannah Swift—a very irritated looking Savannah Swift.

"What's going on," he asked. "Why are you here?"

"I'm here," she began, "because you have arrested someone totally innocent for kidnapping my sister!"

"Shimmer? You think she's innocent?" Killian asked, uncertainly.

"I know that she's innocent! If I thought she had helped kidnap her, don't you think I'd have mentioned that to you at my house?!"

Killian was silent.

"Let her go!" Savannah demanded.

Detective Killian exchanged glances with Colton, who shrugged. If the victim's sister thought Sunset was innocent, and even went out of her way to come down to the station to say so, then it was a fair bet she was.

Killian stepped back to the door and opened it—Sunset's head snapped up towards him.

"You're free to go," he announced.

Sunset Shimmer was perfectly still for a second while she processed what Killian had said. Then she leapt up and was out of the room in less than two seconds. She recovered her jacket, and exited the state police outpost with Savannah.

* * *

><p>Officer Ford cast a glance around the room he had been shown to. The room was sparsely furnished, featuring only a desk, a small dresser, a bed—albeit one shorter than what he was used to, and a bookcase.<p>

"Can I have one of the maids get you anything? Something to eat, maybe?" his guide, Tara Swift, offered.

"I'm okay," Ford replied. Surprisingly, he wasn't particularly hungry.

"Very well," Tara replied. "I'll leave you till the morning, then."

"Goodnight," Ford replied briefly.

Tara exited the room, shutting the door with a wave of her hand.

The officer unclipped the microphone attached to his shirt, and clipped it onto his radio's antenna. Then he removed his black polo, setting it atop the dresser. His undershirt was a jet-black, tight-fitting athletic shirt featuring a graphic of his badge on the left front, the letters _MCPD_ on the right, and _POLICE _along the back, written in big, white letters.

Next he unclipped his duty-belt, revealing a second belt underneath—one made of thick nylon, and a heavy-duty steel buckle. He set his duty-belt—which held everything he'd need for policing—down next to his polo.

Without thinking twice, Ford removed his Glock from its holster and set it close to the bed—easily in arms reach. He already had a round chamber, and there were no manual safeties on this gun. Point, shoot. Perfect simplicity.

Although, he was beginning to doubt that he'd need it. So far the inhabitants seemed friendly, if a little bit unusual. But experience had taught him it was best to be cautious—not paranoid, but alert. Too often he had heard stories of officers killed because they let their guard down.

No more tired than he was hungry, Ford decided to take a look at what the bookcase could offer in the way of entertainment. Contrary to the expectations of most, Officer Ford was an avid reader, though his job as a police officer left him with little time for enjoying books.

He looked over the titles and shrugged; none of the names of the books really meant heads or tails to him. Ford selected one at random and carried it across the room, over to the bed.

He sat back and cracked it open. A history book, it seemed, and as good a book to read as any. He might as well get a little information about this place. Equestria, Tara had called it.

Ford glanced at the table of contents.

_Chapter 8: Portals – Page 119_

_Seems relevant,_ he thought. Hadn't Tara or Twilight mentioned something about him falling through a portal?

He flipped to the indicated page and began reading. No mention yet of a portal connecting to a sketchy pawn-shop, but there was something written about a portal in a place called the Crystal Empire. There wasn't too much detail about it—Ford got the impression that the author was only working with a vague knowledge of the portal. Nevertheless, it was better than nothing.

One detail stuck out to Ford; the portal would only connect every thirty moons.

_Whatever the heck kinda' measurement of time that is, _Ford thought.

It seemed unlikely the portal would be open when he arrived, but the officer thought it best to at least pay this place a visit. Maybe someone there would know more about it. Maybe he'd be able to leave. Maybe nobody at the department had noticed he was gone. Yeah… right.

Helpful or not, Ford decided he would see about paying a visit to these Crystal… Imperialists? He didn't really know what to call them. Not that it really mattered; he'd be able to ask soon enough.

Ford closed the book and placed it back in the bookcase. He took off his boots and set them next to his bed before climbing in. Then he turned off the light, closed his eyes, and slowly drifted off to sleep.

Or so he tried. Officer Ford only managed to steal a few hours of sleep that night. Perhaps it was because he wasn't yet comfortable with his surroundings. Perhaps it was anticipation for the day ahead. _Or maybe it's because they could not have possibly made this bed any smaller!_

Ford let out an irritated groan and set upright. The bed was plenty wide, intended for use by a Pony sleeping with its hooves out to the side. It was not, however, quite long enough to comfortable accommodate Officer Ford.

He sighed. This was probably going to be a long night.

* * *

><p>He woke early the next morning. Ford rubbed the sleep from his eyes and got out of the bed. He threw on all his gear, and made sure his shirt was tucked in before leaving the room.<p>

Ford wandered down the hallway without any real sense of where he was going, or who he was looking for. Hopefully he'd run into Tara, or maybe Twilight, and they could help him get to the portal. Those two seemed to be the only ones who were familiar with him, anyway.

Ford rounded the corner and came face-to-muzzle with a tall, white mare sporting a horn, wings, a flowing mane, and a crown. She offered him a friendly smile.

"Hello. You must be Samuel Ford."

Well, that was unexpected.

"Who are you?" Ford asked abruptly, wide eyed, confused.

She chuckled. "I am Princess Celestia. Princess Twilight informed me of your arrival last night. I have to say; we're all quite surprised to find _another_ Human here in Equestria."

"The first Human must have been—"

"Tara," Princess Celestia finished for him. "And things became quite interesting after her arrival."

An awkward silence passed over the two.

"Oh, where are my manners!" Celestia said, suddenly. "I imagine you must be hungry; have you had breakfast yet?"

"Er… no, ma'am," Ford began.

"In that case, you may join me. I was just headed there myself."

Ford suddenly became conscious of how hungry he was. Refusing food last night certainly wasn't doing him any favors, and the thought of food was indeed appetizing—both figuratively and literally.

A few minutes of walking brought the pair to a large dining hall. Princess Celestia took a seat at the head of one table, and offered the one next to her to Ford.

"Not a lotta' people around," Ford observed. The dining hall was totally deserted, save for himself, Celestia, and a single attendant trotting towards them.

"People?" Celestia asked, momentarily confused. "Oh, you must mean ponies. And you're right; most of my little ponies are still asleep. I, on the other hoof, have no time to sleep in."

Two plates of fruits and greens were deposited in front of Celestia and Ford. The pony that brought them—a Unicorn—bowed and walked away.

Ford selected a bright, red apple and began chewing.

"So tell me; how did you find yourself here in Equestria?" Princess Celestia asked, after a minute or so of silence.

Officer Ford swallowed and set the apple back down.

"I was actually looking for Tara," he explained.

"Oh?" Celestia asked, intrigued. "You know her, then?"

Ford shook his head. "My police department was investigating her disappearance."

"Police department?" Celestia asked, unfamiliar with the term.

"Police. You know, enforce laws, serve and protect the public? I'm a police officer—a member of the police department."

Celestia thought about it for a moment. "Sounds like the guard."

"Sort of like that," Ford replied. "Anyway, we were out looking for her. I was at a pawn-shop, touched some magic mirror or something, and I woke up here."

"I see," Celestia said. "Interesting how your disappearance would be linked to Tara's."

"I guess. Now that it's on my mind, you have a portal, right? In someplace called the Crystal Empire?"

Celestia nodded. "Certainly. Would you care to see it?"

"That'd be great."

She stood up. "Then I'll take you there."

Before Ford could move, stand, or speak, Celestia cast a teleportation spell and they were gone.

* * *

><p>Princess Cadence and Shining Armor had just sat down for breakfast when they were interrupted by a loud <em>pop<em>, and a flash of light.

Before their eyes, Celestia appeared with Officer Ford, who was in the exact same sitting position he had been in Canterlot Castle's dining hall. Only now, there was no chair. He landed sharply on his behind, wincing as he back hit the floor.

"Ow."

Cadence and Shining Armor were surprised by Celestia's sudden appearance, and even more surprised by Officer Ford.

"Princess Celestia! Is everything alright?!" Shining Armor asked.

"Of course, Shining Armor. Why wouldn't it be?"

"Well… usually, you don't show up in the middle of breakfast, with a Human," nodded pointedly towards Ford.

"This is Samuel Ford; he came here on accident," she explained. "If it wouldn't trouble you, would you care to show him your portal?"

"Oh, of course!" Cadence replied, and beamed at Ford.

"Excellent," Celestia replied. "In that case, I will leave you in the capable hooves of Princess Cadence, and Prince Shining Armor."

Before Officer Ford had a chance to reply, Celestia was gone. He closed his mouth, the question he was about to ask her dying on his lips, and looked awkwardly at the princess and prince.

"You must join us for breakfast," Cadence continued. "I hope you like apples."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

_If I ever see another apple-themed breakfast, it'll be too soon! _Officer Ford thought to himself as he followed Cadence down a hallway constructed of polished crystal. _Twenty-four dishes to choose from, all of them made from apples. Who even comes up with this stuff?"_

Ford didn't mind apples; on occasion, he'd pick up a bushel from the grocery store. But too much of any one thing was never good, and there were, without a doubt, too many apples at breakfast.

"We're almost at the portal, Sam," Cadence reported. She had taken to calling him Sam as opposed to Samuel, without any prompting or prior permission from the officer.

"Alright," Ford replied, inwardly jumping for joy. _As soon as I'm home, I'm grilling a steak, and renting a movie. I wonder what came out on DVD recently…_

A pair of grand doors opened inwardly to admit Cadence and Ford, along with the two Crystal Guards that had been trailing behind them.

"This is it," Cadence declared.

Ford looked around, trying to find a portal. But as far as he could tell, the room was totally empty, aside from two thrones, and a mirror.

"Is it like… invisible, or something?"

"Invisible?" Cadence giggled.

"Yes, invisible," Ford replied, frowning slightly.

"No, silly—it's right there." Cadence pointed with her hoof towards the mirror.

_Of course_, Ford thought flatly. _A mirror. _

Just then, Tara Swift quite literally ran into the room, eliciting a surprised glance from Officer Ford.

"Welcome to the Crystal Empire, Officer," she said, waving at Cadence.

"Is that what this place is called?" Ford glanced around.

"Sure is! Isn't it beautiful?"

Ford opened his mouth, about to ask who they invaded to establish their empire. But before he could, a glowing vortex began swirling within the surface of the mirror. Tara ran over to it, and stared excitedly.

Ford glanced at the mirror, largely uninterested. Something caught his eye though, and he did a double-take.

_Is there a leg growing out of that mirror?!_

The leg was, as he soon discovered, attached to a person. A person who stepped through the mirror and a person who Tara immediately proceeded to throw her arms around.

"Savannah!"

"Tara!"

The two of them were racked by simultaneous fits of laughter and tears.

"I'm so glad you're okay," the newcomer, Savannah, whispered.

Tara broke off the embrace and looked her in the eyes. "Boy, have I got a story for you!"

Officer Ford disengaged himself from the reunion. He walked over to the mirror and began to examine it—until he heard his name mentioned.

"And this is the officer sent looking for me—Samuel Ford."

Ford's head snapped around. Tara was standing next to Savannah, who looked the officer over.

"Hey… I think I remember you."

"How?" Ford asked, raising an eyebrow. Had he ever had any contact with this girl before?

Savannah regarded him, with something close to sympathy. "Before I came here, I saw your picture on the TV. It was a news report… it said you've been declared dead by the state court."

"Dead?" Ford asked gently. His hands and shoulders were relaxed, and his eyes were open wide. It was almost childlike.

Savannah nodded. "I'm sorry."

Officer Ford's mouth pulled into a tight, thin line, his fists clenched, and his shoulders squared.

"Well, that's great!" he barked. "Now there's no way I can go back!"

Ford shifted his gaze between the Savannah and the mirror, before hissing angrily and storming over to a window. He planted his elbows in the window frame and buried his face in his hands.

He was angry. And the worse part, he had no idea who he should be angry with. It wasn't the fault of any of the Equestrians, and the court wouldn't write him off without strong evidence… right?

_Maybe it's my fault… I never should have touched that stupid mirror._

A short time later, Ford became aware of a nearby presence—the polished crystal acted as a mirror, and he could see Tara's reflection in it. She didn't speak; she simply stood a few feet away.

"They wrote me off so quickly," Ford said quietly, almost as if to himself. "It couldn't have been more than a few days."

"I'm sorry." Tara spoke softly.

"It's not your fault," Ford sighed, turning around and leaning his back against the wall. "Problem is, if I go back, I'll have to explain where I've been—nobody would believe the truth."

He looked at Tara, and gave a short bark of mirthless laughter. "Especially if I told them the really bizarre stuff."

Ford's eyes dropped to the floor. He opened his mouth to speak, and hesitated for a second. "I know this might sound a little crazy, but… is it possible I could say here long term?"

It wasn't an ideal solution, but it was better than returning from the dead, talking about visiting a world full of magic, talking ponies. People would think he was either lying, or crazy.

He could lie about where he had been, of course, but the analytical Internal Affairs officers who would no doubt investigate him would be able to spot at least a dozen things wrong with any cover-story he produced.

Tara though, seemed to think there was nothing wrong with the idea. "Of course! Why wouldn't it be?"

"Well… I'm in a world that looks like something from a kids cartoon show."

"Seriously, you can stay here as long as you want," Tara said. "You can even stay at Canterlot, until you find a permanent place to stay."

She paused for a second. "Just, one thing."

"What's that?"

"You stand out like a sore thumb—no offense," she said. "It's just that so far, the only human that all Ponies are comfortable with having here is me—and you look nothing like a young, female Human."

Ford shrugged. As far as he was concerned, not looking like a girl was a good thing.

"Of course!" Tara exclaimed. "Remember when I turned into my half-Alicorn body so you could see it?"

"Yes," Ford replied. "But what—"

"What if I did that to you?" she went on, cutting him off. "I can't give you too much of my Alicorn magic because a Human body can't bear it, but if I give you just enough to turn into a stallion…"

"What? Why would I want to do that?!"

"So you can walk around Equestria whenever you want, without getting weird looks and scaring everypony," Tara replied.

It was roughly the equlivent of going undercover, Ford realized, and it was probably best to have that option available to him, even if he was more comfortable as a Human.

"Alright," he agreed.

Tara snapped her fingers, transforming into her Anthro form. She stepped in close and put her hands on Ford's shoulders—then she backed up, her face reddening.

"Uh, this is how the magic'll get transferred into you… you don't mind, do you?"

Ford shrugged—he was used to being in close proximity to people.

Tara closed her eyes and placed her hands back on his shoulders. Ford glanced at one of them, realizing it had been enveloped by a glowing, purple aura. Before he could remark about it, there was a flash, and Ford transformed into a Pegasus.

He opened his wings and examined them out of the corner of his eye, flapping them experimentally a few times, before becoming aware that he was now the center of all attention in the room.

"Um… what if I want to change back?" he asked quickly.

"Just imagine yourself as a Human," Tara replied.

Ford thought about it, and a second later he was his old self again.

He did lose his balance though, and as he stumbled forward, Tara reached out, aiming to grab whatever part of his body was closest, which happened to be his hand.

Ford recovered, stood up straight, and looked at Tara, who was still gripping his hand.

"Heheh, sorry." She blushed and released him.

"You've gotta' give me some of that magic, sis!" Savannah exclaimed.

Tara nodded. "Maybe later."

Savannah beckoned her over, and the two began discussing something in a hushed whisper.

"Hey everypony!" Twilight exclaimed, and then looked at Ford and Savannah. "And every_body_; can we get some breakfast now?"

"Breakfast?" Savannah asked, glancing down at her watch. "But… I came from almost midnight!"

"You know, let lag," Tara said, and the two of them laughed.

Twilight, however, looked confused. "What is… jet lag?"

"I'll explain later," Tara said, smiling and shaking her head. "_Much _later."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

"Hey, Tom—you really have to try some of this cake!"

Detective Tommy Killian glanced up from the files scattered across his desk and saw Detective Michael Colton standing just inside his office's doorframe, holding a paper plate out towards him.

"…Cake?" Killian said confused, shaking his head.

"Yeah, cake," Colton replied, nodding curtly. "It's Detective Becker's birthday—Marshall and Forman put together a party. And what's a party without cake, am I right?"

"Mike, I'm good," Killian sighed. "I don't want any cake."

"Oh, well then," Colton replied, feigning offense. Killian said nothing in return, prompting Colton to venture further into the office. He walked up to Killian's desk, and peered down at the documents. "Whatcha' doin'?"

"Trying to make sense of this case." Killian slapped his hand down on a picture of Tara's house and leaned back, frustrated. "Something's not right about this, Mike—something doesn't add up."

Colton cocked his head to the side, trying to read the upside-down print on the files. "What?"

Killian spread his hands out in front of him. "I don't know! Just… something!"

He let out a sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Do you think we let that Shimmer kid off too easy? I barely even started the interrogation."

"Well, Swift seemed pretty adamant that she wasn't involved."

That statement didn't help Killian's mood much, and Colton carefully thought over his next words.

"Look, you can't win 'em all, Tom. It sucks, I know, and what's more is we lost Officer Ford, but the point is—"

"Hey, you're right!"

Colton's eyebrows drew together in surprise. "I am?"

"We have a dead cop, Mike—a cop involved in our investigation. The killers still out there, and quite frankly I don't care how much it offends Miss Swift or anyone else—I'll interrogate anyone who might help us find whoever did this!"

"So… what's your next move?"

"_Our_ next move," Killian corrected, "is to extract information from a person of interest in this case."

"Who?"

"Savannah Swift."

* * *

><p>A dark, navy-blue car escorted by a pair of State Police cruisers pulled up in front of Savannah Swifts house, under the cover of darkness. No lights were on in the building, but the presence of a car whose license plates were registered to Savannah supported the notion that she was home. Two men exited each vehicle, each one clad in body armor and clutching rifles.<p>

Two State Troopers marched up to the door while the other two kept their rifles trained on the windows on the house. Detectives Colton and Killian were in the rear, ready to provide assistance if necessary.

The largest trooper, Officer Mercer, banged on the door. "State Police with a warrant—open the door!" he ordered, his powerful voice booming.

No reply from inside, and Mercer tried again. "State Police with a warrant—open the door now!"

Still receiving no answer, Mercer motioned to one of the officers standing in the front lawn. He scrambled to his patrol car and retrieved a battering ram, which he lugged up to the front door. He and Mercer each gripped one side and swung in tandem, effortlessly defeating the lock and sending the door sailing wide open.

"State Police!" bellowed an officer, charging in with his rifle raised up. The others followed suit, quickly executing a search of the house and finding nothing.

"She's not here," Killian concluded.

"Yeah, but her car is," Officer Brad Killian, Tommy Killian's cousin, said.

"Think someone kidnapped her?" Mercer asked.

"Maybe," Killian replied. "Or maybe they're harboring here. Either way, I think I know exactly who they are."

He glanced at his cousin. "Think you could get us a SWAT team?"

"Absolutely. We can turn this into a joint-raid if you can get some of your LAWTAC guys up here—I'd love to see them in action. And I'd much rather have them than these local clowns."

The Mount Christopher Police Law Enforcement Special Tactics Unit, commonly referred to as LAWTAC, was among the top-rated police special-operations groups in the state. They trained extensively with the State Police SWAT team, and it was not uncommon for the two organizations to carry out operations together.

"If you can get an invitation for us to join in on the raid, I can get a LAWTAC unit up here," Killian assured.

"So, what's the target?" Mercer asked.

"Six individuals. And if we're lucky, we can get them all together."

* * *

><p>Detective Killian sat in the passenger of an unmarked police car, which in turn was parked in the three-hundred block of Harmony Road, a neighborhood within the city of Canterlot. Three days had passed since the search of Savannah Swift's house, and in that time more warrants had been stamped, officers transferred, material requisitioned, and information collected. Now Killian could only hope that all this work paid off.<p>

Detective Colton was in the driver seat, drumming out a rhythm on the steering wheel. Aside from the muffled sound of his fingers tapping the wheel and the occasion radio transmission, the car was completely silent.

"Think they're playing yet?" Killian asked, pointing two fingers at their target house, the residence of Rainbow Dash. All members of the band known as The Rainbooms were suspects in the case, and they frequently practiced at Dash's house. The idea was to wait until the Rainbooms started playing before moving in so that the sound of the approaching officers would be concealed. Thus far though, there had been nothing from the house.

Colton shrugged. "You've got the parabolic."

Killian rolled down his window and with one hand pointed a parabolic dish at the house. With the other, he held a pair of headphones to his left ear.

"What's going on?" Colton asked, after a second. "Are they making music?"

"Well," Killian replied, grimacing, "they're making noise, that's for sure. Good enough though, right?"

Colton nodded. "Advise the entry team."

A quick call over the radio set the final tense moments of the stakeout into motion. Detective Killian counted off the seconds, as two BearCat armored trucks adorned with State Police markings rounded the corner and halted in front of Rainbow Dash's house. The hatch atop the large, black vehicles opened and a precision rifleman—police terminology for a sniper—emerged through the opening, and brought their rifles to bear on the house as green-clad officers hopped from the vehicle and stormed up the lawn, forming a stack outside each of the doors. Teargas was fired through the windows, and battering rams struck down the doors. Officers donning gas-masks poured into the home in search of their targets.

After what felt like hours, Killian and Colton received an "all clear" signal that indicated the suspects had been apprehended, and it was safe for them to proceed to the house. Colton started the car's engine and cruised down the road, with the State Police supervisor following in the car behind.

As Colton pulled up to the curb, the SWAT officers who raided the house were emerging with the suspects they had apprehended. To mitigate the effects of tear gas, their faces were wiped down with damp towels.

Detective Killian watched as a sergeant compared the suspects to the pictures they had of them. Apparently satisfied that these were indeed their targets, he waved them onto a waiting transport bus, and made his way over to Killian.

"It's them, Detective," he reported.

"Good," Killian nodded. "Let's get them down to an interrogation cell, and let's get to work solving this case."


End file.
